Celebrity

The African Getdown Hosted by Common at the Private Residence of Jonas Tahlin, CEO Absolut Elyx

The Chainsmokers, Kate Hudson, Lady Gaga, and now an “African Getdown”. The Elyx House Hollywood a.k.a., the private residence of Jonas Tahlin, CEO of Absolut Elyx, has hosted some of Hollywood’s biggest names, and this past Thursday night it made an honorable and very unforgettable addition to its celebrity studded belt.

Guest hosted by Oscar Award-Winning hip hop recording artist, actor, poet, and film producer, Common, the South African inspired event was nothing short of amazing. It tactfully trails on the recent global success of African-Inspired culture and the likes of Marvel’s, “Black Panther”, which recently surpassed $1 billion dollars at the global box office last week.

“It was all about connecting with people from the U.S..It was a rainbow nation type of thing. Something that the world needs” says one of South Africa’s top Afro-House producers and DJs, Mkhululi Siqula, best known as “Heavy K”.

The elegant and colorful ‘good vibes only’ and, apparently, invite only event, not only featured African-inspired cuisine throughout the glamorous Hollywood golden era- Elyx House, but it also featured some admirable appearance as well. Guests enjoyed appearances by hit South African artists including, DJ Heavy-K, Anattii, and D.A.L.E.S. along with top African TV presenters, Luthando “Loot Love”, Shosha, and Ayanda Thembethe.

“We are excited to support and present a platform for African creativity which is quickly becoming a global phenomenon”, says Iris LeBerg, Global Marketing Manager at Absolut Company.

“The highlight of the night was probably Common just because of all that he stands for. I just feel like the timing was great for an event like this because it offered the chance to highlight all forms of creativity. It’s truly a sign that the world is waking up” says Executive Event Organizer of Celebrity Services Africa, Davin Phillips.

ABOUT THE TALENT:COMMONAcademy Award, Golden Globe, Emmy and Grammy-winning actor and musician, Common continues to break down barriers with a multitude of critically acclaimed, diverse roles, and continued success at the box office.He appeared on the big screen in the Oscar nominated film, SELMA, a film centered around the civil rights marches that changed America. Alongside John Legend, he won the Academy Award and Golden Globe in 2015 for “Best Original Song in a Motion Picture” for “Glory” which was featured in the film. In 2016, he appeared in the David Ayer’s high profile comic book movie, Warner Bros’ SUICIDE SQUAD. The film broke box office records both domestically and around the world.In 2017, Common starred opposite Keanu Reeves in the highly anticipated sequel JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2, and appeared in Judy Greer’s directorial debut A HAPPENING OF MONUMENTAL PROPORTIONS with Allison Janney. This Summer, he appeared in Bleecker Street’s MEGAN LEAVEY alongside Kate Mara, Tom Felton, Bradley Whitford and Edie Falco.He most recently wrapped production on THE HATE U GIVE, directed by George Tillman Jr. and based on the Angela Thomas’ novel of same name. Common stars alongside Amandla Stenberg, Regina Hall, Anthony Mackie, Algee Smith, and Issa Rae. Next up, Common stars in Andrea Di Stefano’s action-thriller, THREE SECONDS, with an all-star cast including Clive Owen, Rosamund Pike, and Joel Kinnaman, in theaters August 17th. He also lends his voice to Warner Brothers’ upcoming animated feature SMALLFOOT, in theaters September 28th.It was announced that Common will executive produce and star in “Black Samurai” a TV adaption of Marc Olden’s 1974 book series, which inspired the 1977 film of the same name.He is also set to star in QUICK DRAW, a new revenge action thriller to be produced by TRANSFORMERS producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Content Media.Behind-the-scenes, Common recently executive-produced the Netflix drama BURNING SANDS and performed the closing credits original song “The Cross” featuring Lianne Le Havas. The film premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and was released on Netflix March 10th. He currently serves as an executive producer of Showtime’s new TV series “The Chi,” a coming-of-age story set in Chicago from writer Lena Waithe.Common’s 11th studio album, BLACK AMERICA AGAIN, was released November 4, 2016 on ARTium/Def Jam Recordings. The album includes socially conscious new single, “Black America Again” featuring Stevie Wonder and the anthem “Letter to the Free,” the end-title track to Ava Duvernay’s powerful Oscar-Nominated documentary 13TH, for which he also received the 2017 Emmy for “Best Music and Lyrics.” He was most recently featured on Andra Day‘s new song for Open Road Films’ MARSHALL soundtrack, “Stand Up for Something,” co-written by Common and eight-time Academy Award-nominee Diane Warren. The original song has received Oscar, Grammy, NAACP, and Critic Choice Award nominations, as well as the “Hollywood Song Award” at the 2017 Hollywood Film Awards.DJ HEAVY-K – musician/producer/DJOne of South Africa’s top Afro-house producers & DJs, Mkhululi Siqula (27) best known as “Heavy-K”, aka the Drumboss, hails from a dusty township called Veeplaas in Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape region. Heavy-K has worked with almost every top artist in the region, including DJ Black Coffee and currently has a number one hit in South Africa. His hit, “Inde”, released in November last year, has over 3.2M views on You Tube.

ANATTI – musician/producerAnathi Mnyango (25), better known by his stage name Anatii, is a South African record producer and musician who has also worked with such music luminaries as DJ Khaled (on the song “Bananaz”) and music composer Lebo M (“The Lion King”). Anattii exploded on the scene when he released his debut album, Artiifact, in 2016, featuring top South African acts as well as Nigerian singer Tiwa Savage, Somali-Canadian electronic duo Faarrow and American singer Omarion. In August 2017, Anatii was selected as The Young Independents influencer of the year and, three months later, became a high level influencer for the LuQuLuQu project set up by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.DA L.E.S. – musician/producerDa L.E.S, is a South African and American hip hop recording artist and record producer. He achieved early success with his band, Jozi, and has pioneered African hip hop, including the song “All Eyez On Me” with Nigerian rapper Burna Boy, Malawian singer Gemini Major and fellow South African rapper AKA. Da L.E.S. was born Leslie Jonathan Mampe, Jr., in Washington D.C., United States, to South African parents, Leslie Jonathan Mampe, an IT specialist who worked at IBM, and his wife, Priscilla. Mampe, Sr. was a collector of music LPs and was known for hosting parties. It is through this that Mampe discovered his musical talents at a young age, while living in the United States with his parents. In 2014, Mampe starred in a South African television series, The Real Jozi A-Listers, as a lead character alongside South African television and media personality Maps Maponyane, both playing fictionalized versions of themselves. His latest album Hall Of Fame 2, is an African hip hop hit.AYANDA THABETHE ACTRESS/TV PRESENTERSouth African television presenter, actress and model, Ayanda Thabethe currently co-hosts the BET entertainment show BET Africa A-List in which the presenters unpack music, fashion, movies and more, covering red carpet event and interviewing A-Listers from home and abroad. She began her acting career on the South African telenovella, “Roxkville” (also starring Terry Pheto) and also has a keen interest in developing, encouraging and creating sustainable and practical solutions for entrepreneurs and is one of the founders of a non-profit organization called the African Emancipation Foundation.

LOOT LOVE – TV & RADIO PRESENTERLoot Love, born Luthando Shosha, is a South African television presenter and Radio personality, best known for co-hosting the Friday night show Live AMP, SABC 1 and is currently the host for the South African radio station, Metro FM’s #Absolutehiphop Show.